Drug Usage Finally Shuts Music Festivals Down

MDMA, or ecstasy, has been the drug of choice at music festivals this summer. Formerly circulated exclusively at EDM festivals, the stimulant has hit mainstream crowds at Coachella near Los Angeles, Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Lollapalooza in Chicago. However, as the drug has become more popular, more and more sellers have turned to diluting it with other substances. Often, what is labeled as ecstasy doesn’t actually contain the drug at all. 

Police, emergency room doctors and drug rehab centers have all expressed concern with the increase of substance abuse. For some, the answer to the problem of experimentation is to ensure that the drugs are pure. 

Adam Auctor, founder of Bunk Police, has been an advocate for safe drug use for the past five years. However, Thump Magazine reported that the legal complexities of providing drug testing kits at festivals in Los Angeles and other locations have frustrated his efforts. "It's absolutely worth the risk,” said Auctor. “I've been willing to go to prison for this from the beginning."

The Evolve Festival in Nova Scotia shared Auctor’s desire for safe usage by announcing that they would provide free testing kits in July, only to be threatened with cancellation by authorities shortly thereafter. 

As Evolve Producer Jonas Colter said in an interview with the Spartan Daily, “In the big picture, it's just about keeping people safe. It's not about condoning drug use, it's about offering information and letting people make hopefully wise decisions.”

Drug rehab centers and groups such as Narcotics Anonymous provide this helpful information to keep people safe from substance abuse, but festival-goers experimenting with MDMA are often first-time users and unfamiliar with the dangers.

Last month, the Los Angeles Times reported that the LA County board was considering banning music festivals after two women died at the Hard Summer Festival in Pomona due to drug use. The drug used was likely a form of ecstasy, but could have been mixed with other substances. 

With dozens of drug rehab centers dotting Los Angeles County, the irony is that most of the recent drug-related deaths have been due to one-time usage. Authorities are seriously reconsidering the safety of these festivals. 

In fact, on September 1, ABC 7 News reported that LiveNation agreed to cancel their event this weekend and change regulations for events in the future. Whatever the case may be, it’s safe to say that drug abuse—in any form, for that matter—should be avoided at all costs.